OSPA - Obsessive Skin Pickers Anonymous steps1-12

[Spring Angel]

Nora, what the program does is something you are already familiar with. Kinda what we are doing is tailoring it specifically to face picking, so there is no book, but if you have an AA book, you could read the Chapter to the agonostic in preparation for step 2. I have worked the steps many times, but I am starting from scratch here because this is a different problem that we are working on.

So basically, Step one is the admission of powerlessness over face picking and the admission that our lives have become unmanageable, and what we need to do to work step one is, tonight, read as suggested above, then get busy and write your thoughts and feelings on this step. How is it that you have come to believe you are powerless? In what ways? What kinds of things have you done with your picking? How have you tried to stop?

And with regards to your life's unmanageability, are you spending countless hours picking or patching your face? buying creams and ointments, trying all different things? Do you cancel appointments as a result of your picking? Not make friends? etc, etc. Only you will know what to write. You can post your step one work here on this thread (maybe it will help someone else, you know?) or if you are too shy you can e-mail it to me.

When you get done with your writing, I would suggest you carefully cleanse your makeup off, apply neosporin to all your sores, put on a fresh pillowcase, and then put your hands together and say a prayer thanking God for putting you in touch with us, and in advance for removing your obsession and compulsion to pick. Believe that as a result of working these steps your compulsion will be completely removed. Act as if you believe it even if you do not. Or some prayer of your choice, the jist of which might be to remove your compulsion so that you might help another to recover from OSP (Obsessive Skin Picking) Then spend 5 or ten minutes meditating. (searching inside and listening for God). Then go to bed. When you awake in the morning, just like it says in the Big Book, say your prayer again in earnest. Tomorrow will be your first pick-free day. DO NOT PICK between the time you go to bed tonite, and the time you log back on here tomorrow nite. NO MATTER WHAT (also what they say in AA). Even if your ass falls off as they say, pick it up and keep going. Ha ha. We hope that won't happen. Well actually if half mine fell off it would be okay.

Sorry, off topic. So, how are you going to not pick tomorrow. You are going to use every tool available to you. Put neosporin on if possible. If you must go out wear makeup and neoporin on top to keep the scabs soft and unpickable. Don't touch your face. Put little pieces of tape on your fingertips, to discourage you. wear gloves. whatever. Say the serenity prayer. If you start to pick stop immediately. Stay busy. Read on this thread as many times as you need to. e-mail someone, post on the message board. Whatever it takes to get through just this 24 hour period. You can pick the next day if you must, but not TOMORROW. 24 hour a day program right? Just one day at a time. That 's how you can do it. Anybody can not pick for just one day right?

Okay, then tomorrow night check back in and we'll get you going on step two. you can work on that til bedtime, change pillocase again, same prayer/meditation routine, prayer in the morning, and repeat. NOT PICKING in beween checking in here. You can check in in the morning too as a reminder.

on to next post

[Spring Angel]

Nora,

My suggestion is, at this point don't anayze why you are picking. It doesn't matter. Just as it doesn't matter why you drank or used or whatever. Most likely you just have really bad OCD. Nothing more needed to know. This is a behavior that you want to stop. You might think instead about a possible replacement behavior like gum chewing or something repetitive and continuous.

luv,

Spring

[Spring Angel]

I'll tell you guys something. I don't have time to pick anymore with all this typing. So thanks for being on the other end. I'm grateful for all of you. We're in this together. By the way Congrats on your great day Skigirl and Faceprob. Where is Hecate? Where are you are you okay?

I would like to state at this point that I have quoted or paraphrased from th Big Book in the above writings (Alcoholics Anonymous, fourth addition), and would like to credit that source.


Okay, ready for Step 3?

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM"

So here we have to have some understanding, no matter how tiny, of a power greater than ourselves, which we talked about in step 2, and we are going to SURRENDER, or make a decision to turn our WILL and our lives over to the care of God (or doorknop, Creator, great Universe, OSPA group, whatever you chose as your higher power.)

We should at this point have been convinced that (from Step 2)

a. That we were Obsessive Skin Pickers

b. That probably no human power could have relieved our OSP.

c. That God could and would if he were sought.

Any life run on self-propulsion (from the Big Book) winds up in collision with something or somebody.

We are demanding, overly meek, frustrated, anxious, sel-pitying, any of a thousand things, but in general we are unhappy with people places or things. We are self-centered. We are selfish. How do we get un-selfish? We quit trying to be the God of our Universe and turn the wheel over to the real God.

"The only thing I know about God is that I'm not him"
When we turn our will over we say "Thy Will be done not mine" We put him in charge. It's time to set ourselves aside and see what we can do for Him.

So let the feeling of the power of God as you understand him flow in, and the old self-will energy flow out, and feel the serenity and peace of that, while you say this prayer to God AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM:

"God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always"

It's really nice if you can say this with someone, significant other, friend, clergyman, or just write it out here and post it. we will be with you reading along. The wording of the prayer is just a suggestion. If you are honest and humble, a great feeling of change may come over you.

That is step 3.

Okay, I'm wiped. And I didn't pick and I still have to go to my other website. Again, if you have questions or anything, or want to send your writing privately my e-mail is [e-mail]. Feel free.

So good nite all, and remember DON"T PICK in between now and checking in tomorrow night. NO MATTER WHAT.

Say the serenity prayer a lot. Pray. Take deep breaths, and BELIEVE that God has now removed the obsession and compulsion to pick for you as he has for me.

luv,

Spring

[skigirl]

ok - doing really well again. I've strung a couple days together pick-free. Been soooo busy. I've found my hand stray a few times, where I've not even noticed it, searching for imperfections, bu have been able to stop. I haven't squeezed anything and I've been taking really good care of my skin. It's amazing how fast it looks so good. Another thing I've started as part of skin care is taking fish oil supplements. Still exercising and taking vitamins too. So all in all I think I'm doing the best I possibly can. Tomorrow is the day, if the trend holds true to the past, that I'll have a really bad urge. So I'll be praying, going through the steps, trying like mad to get just through tomorrow. I'll do as you've said, Spring, and just tell myself not to pick just for tomorrow, then if I need to the next day, like, say, if my ass falls off (hehe - I thought that was pretty funny), then I'll say I can pick. But going for stringing some serious days together. I've gone as long as 3-1/2 weeks before! I can soooo do it again. But not on my own power - and that's the most important part. Who'd have thunk that CSP could be a faithbuilding exercise?

[Spring Angel]

right on you go girl. I am soooo proud of you! one day at a time. I am so excited about this. It sure is working for me I know that. I haven't felt this good in years. Now about that extra 40 pounds I'm packing - just kidding, one obsession at a time, right?

take good care I.ll be praying for you tonite and in the morning.

luv,

Spring

[faceprob]

hey skigirl, that's great that you've actually gone 3 1/2 weeks without picking! I've never done that before..the longest for me is 3 days...well i had two good days then I messed up last night and this morning..well, I'm praying for all of you who are trying to stop..and I'll think of the prayer when i go to wash my face tonight..

good night all

[Spring Angel]

Hi you! You can start again any time. Just pick up where you left off. Faceprob keep on trying and pretty soon it will kick in I'm betting. Keep working on the steps, praying each night and morning and meditating.

I actually discovered two tiny flaps of loose skin on either side of my nose today from what were previously really bad sores. So I had to quickly scratch them off. But I looked in the mirror afterward. No damage done, and the rest of the day was pick-free, so a slight slip.

I'm not going to beat myself up for it though.

luv,

Spring

[Spring Angel]

you know, I'm too tired to write on steps tonite, so okay if we just recap or reread stuff above? and pray and meditate and thank God for removing our problem?

need to spend some time on the Spring Angel

Good nite and hope your day was good skigirl.

luv,

Spring

[nora]

i am very tired tonight, and have not stopped picking at all. 2 days of not having any real down time-just had to keep going until late at night and it makes me more suceptible to picking...tomorrow i will start again.
will try to make time for down time . haven't even gotten my walk in for 2 days,which is hard on me.
so i will say goodnight and see you all tomorrow.(wed.)
by the way i am on eastern time so i'ts real late for me sometimes.
have a good night everyone!

[Spring Angel]

Keep trying Nora, okay, I know how much you want to stop. we are here with you listening and hearing your pain. We will wish for you a better day tomorrow.

luv,

Spring

[skigirl]

Yesterday was my big pick day, according to my previous picking pattern. Typically I'll go two or three days, then develop an overwhelming urge. I still had the urge, and since I believe that part of the 12 steps is holding myself accountable, I will say that I did go after two. Managed to stop myself both times, but I suppose it would have been the equivalent of an alcoholic taking a couple sips of beer. But it's amazing to watch my skin's capacity for healing in such a short amount of time. I did a sugar scrub one day last week, after I took a salt-water bath, and that really helps, so I'll do it again today. Wednesday is kind of a hard day for me, since I spend the day alone with my 2-yo, so have hours of unaccountable time. Need to focus on studying. BTW, when I did break down those couple of times, rather than giving myself permission to completely ravage my skin, I prayed the serenity prayer and the Lord's Prayer, and just prayed in general, and it really helps. I've always known that prayer helps, but I think I wanted to spend my time in other ways instead, and wasn't praying enough.

[Spring Angel]

Hi skigirl bud. Well I picked on zit today, speaking of being accountable. But that's it. there's nothing else to pick. I know what you mean about how amazingly fast the skin heals. I can't believe the difference in less than a week. I've been doing good on my praying. Somehow it's just coming really easily, like chatting with God all the way to work. Bizarre. Like I've been talking to him all my life. Can't explain.

I'm still carrying the Neosporin around and even put it on that stupid zit in the car on the way home, but it was too much for me. I succumbed. I am not scrapping my whole day though. It was 99.95% pick -free. What do you think. Can we count this a successful day in our pitch for 30 days, or what?

I'm voting yes. I really want to get some nice Estee Lauder makeup.

Oh, and my son came home from Utah, Air Force, for the week, so me and him and my other son and my dog are going to get photos taken. I hope my one boo boo calms down by Friday.

I am seriously considering looking up OA on the internet too. I really need to drop these 40 lbs. I think it might work for me.

Glad, so glad, that you are doing reallly good.

Also, I was wondering if you are near Mt. Bachelor, or in the north area of the state. I would love to go skiing at bachelor.

luv,

Spring

[nora]

i had a fairly succesful day. didn't get in there and squeeze and all that. have very hard time just not feeling my skin. i don't have to be in front of a mirror to mess with it.
i did pray about it today. also got in a bike ride and a short rest in the afternoon before having to go at my life again until 10:30 or so
the ride and the rest are absolutely essential to me. just a few min. away from everyone will do it for me. have to have alonne time each day.

[nora]

my hands just gravitate naturally to my face, not even aware of it at times.always feeling for imperfections...

[Spring Angel]

I'm so glad you had a good day Nora, I was really worrying about you yesterday. I know what you mean about hands on face. Read above, I picked a zit today. Couldn't stand it, it was sticking out.

But, I'm moving forward and not dwelling on it. and I only picked that one. Oh, also I found another skin picking support site, I posted about it.

nice to hear you were successful today. I'm going to post on Step 4 tomorrow night.

take care,

luv,

Spring